


In Which Kiba Gets Over Protective

by Kunoichirin



Series: In Which [2]
Category: Naruto
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-04
Updated: 2020-05-08
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:42:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23924818
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kunoichirin/pseuds/Kunoichirin
Summary: In which Kiba gets overprotective of Shikamaru. Rather self explanatory.
Relationships: Inuzuka Kiba/Nara Shikamaru
Series: In Which [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1724617
Comments: 1
Kudos: 62





	1. Temari

Temari. Ugh, where to begin.

Kiba disliked her for many reasons. She was annoying, rude, and just her voice made him irritated. But what he hated the most about her, was her infatuation with Shikamaru.

Alright, he'd admit, infatuation was an exaggeration. She just chose to always be around him whenever she was in Konohagakure. Which was really inconvenient for Kiba, because then Shikamaru would spend time with her over him.

He wasn't sure what annoyed him so much about that. He was good friends with Shikamaru, but he didn't get annoyed when he hung out with his other friends. Maybe it was just because it was _her_.

She was up to something, Kiba could tell. He'd known ever since he first saw her. And he'd been really happy when it turned out the Sand was trying to destroy the Leaf. Not because they were destroying the Leaf, but because it proved she was evil.

And yet they were forgiven and the two Nations became allies again. Which Kiba was grateful for; he didn't particularly want to be against them. But he wished she'd stay in her own village.

It's true she didn't _actually_ visit that often, but it felt like she was almost always here to Kiba. He'd memorized her scent specifically to know if she was in the village. Or more importantly, near Shikamaru.

He felt a weird protectiveness whenever she was even remotely close to Shikamaru. Why? Because she could be plotting things. Just because the Sand was supposedly on their side, didn't mean they weren't going to betray them again. He was just looking out for Shikamaru, as a friend.

"You're jealous."

"What?!" Kiba gasped in surprise at Shino's completely baseless accusation. " _Me_? Jealous? Never!"

"H-he's right, Shino." Hinata agreed, twiddling her thumbs nervously.

"Oh. My bad." Shino said, adjusting his glasses. "You _envious_."

"Yeah." Hinata nodded.

"Just when I thought you were on my side, Hinata." Kiba grumbled. Akamaru barked. "Wha- not you too! I just know that she's up to something. Have you met her? She's totally suspicious."

"And just what proof do you have of this?" Shino asked. Kiba opened and closed his mouth, trying to form words. "Exactly. None."

"Well, what proof did we have that the Sand was going to betray us the first time?" Kiba countered. "It could happen again! You never know!"

"K-Kiba, I think... you n-need to calm down." Hinata suggested. "Shikamaru's fine. I don't think she'd ever try to hurt him in any way."

"But you don't _know_ that!" Kiba began protesting.

"Hello, you three." Said three turned to see their sensei approaching. "What are you all up to?"

"Kiba's being paranoid about Temari." Shino shrugged. Kiba elbowed him in the ribs.

Kurenai laughed. "Why's that? Are you still upset about that whole fiasco? That's in the past, you need to learn to move on."

"Th-that's partly it." Hinata laughed lightly. "But he's also paranoid about Shi-"

Kiba quickly covered her mouth before she could say his name. "It's nothing important! I just have a bad feeling about her, is all."

"Because of her relationship with Shikamaru." Kiba gaped at Shino in shock.

"Why do you always have to betray me like that?" He pouted, letting go of Hinata and slouching a bit.

Kurenai started to laugh. "Shikamaru, eh? What's there to be worried about? If _you've_ had suspicions, then Shikamaru might've too. He'd too smart for anything to happen to him."

"But what if she gets him to lower his guard due to their friendship? Then BAM! And by then it'll be too late, and we'll all regret not listening to me." Kiba crossed his arms.

"He catches onto everything, Kiba. You need to have faith in his abilities." Kurenai put a hand on his shoulder.

"I _do_ have faith in him- his abilities! But there's always a possibility-"

"KIBA." Kurenai interrupted sternly. "There's nothing wrong with being worried, but I think the problem here, is that you just don't like her. And that's okay. You don't have to like everybody."

"He's just envious that she's getting his attention and time." Shino shrugged.

"Shino, why can't you ever just stay quiet and mind your own business?" Kiba growled. "You always seem to be silent until you get an opportunity to bust my chops." The three then turned to see their sensei laughing her head off. "Wh-what's so funny, Kurenai-sensei?"

"Honestly, Kiba. If you weren't so oblivious, you'd know." She told him once she calmed down. "I'd spell it out for you, but this is something you need to figure out on your own."

Kiba frowned at his sensei, until his sharp eyes caught sight of two people. He immediately tensed up and turned his head in the opposite direction. "So, eh... I gotta go."

He started to stand up, but Shino caught his arm. "Oh no, Kiba. You're not running away with your tail between your legs. We're resolving this." He pushed him in the pairs direction. Shikamaru and Temari.

Akamaru made the first move, jumping out of Kiba's jacket and throwing himself towards the two. "Akamaru- wait!" Too late. Akamaru (despite being so small) leapt at Shikamaru with enough force to knock him over.

"What the-" Shikamaru was cut off when Akamaru started licking his face.

Temari recovered from her shock quickly and burst out laughing. Kiba ran over quickly, sliding in next to Shikamaru and sweeping Akamaru off of him. Shikamaru stayed on the ground, blinking, trying to process what had just happened.

He sat up and cocked an eyebrow at Kiba. "What did you do?"

"WHAT!?" Kiba exclaimed. "What do you mean, 'what did _I_ do?!' Akamaru's the one who-"

"He only ever comes to me like that when you've done something stupid." Shikamaru points out. 

"I'm surprised that such a little dog could knock you over." Temari snickered. "Are you slacking in training, or are you naturally that lightweight?" Akamaru quickly turned on her and started growling. She glared back. "What are you growling at, fluff ball?"

Shikamaru tried piecing it together. "Akamaru, Temari's on our side. You know this." Still, Akamaru continued to growl, and then started barking furiously at her. He looked back to Kiba. "Alright then, what did _she_ do?"

Kiba tried hiding his blush in his hands. "Akamaru!" Akamaru immediately fell silent. "That's enough!" He picked him up, then turned to Temari. "Sor-" The lump in his throat kept him from saying the word. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Sor-" He cut off, gagging.

Temari crossed her arms. "Are you... coughing up a hairball or something?"

Kiba glared at her. "Do I look like a cat to you? I'm just unable to say the word sor-" He cut off gagging again. "I was going to apologize for Akamaru, but I can't say it if I don't mean it, apparently."

"What was that?!" She hissed, grabbing him by the collar of his jacket.

"Break it up, would you?" Shikamaru sighed. "Clearly, something is going on between you. Either Kiba really dislikes you and Akamaru decided you needed to know it, or you did something that made these two upset. So," He crossed his arms, looking to Kiba. "Which is it?"

Temari reluctantly released Kiba, but continued to glare at him. "I- this- Akamaru's just acting up! Is all." Kiba lied.

Shikamaru cocked an eyebrow. "Do I look stupid to you? You'll answer me so we can resolve this."

"He doesn't like her!" Shino called from the bench he, Hinata, and Kurenai were sitting on.

"Shut it, Shino!" Kiba shouted back. "It's your fault I'm in this situation in the first place!" Shino smirked slightly.

"Okay then, thank you, Shino." Shikamaru shot him a warning look, then returned to his neutral expression. "I get not liking her, but try keeping Akamaru under control." He shoved his hands in his pockets and leaned against a building. "What a drag."

"Wait, what do you mean 'you get not liking me'?" Temari inquired.

"Well, since you two met, I'd figured based off your personalities, you'd either get along extremely well, or you'd hate each other to the core." Shikamaru shrugged. "Before you suggest that's a paradox, it's because you're both short-tempered and arrogant. The only difference is that he's idiotic, and you're sarcastic and blatantly rude."

"Wha- I'm not blatantly rude!" Temari protested.

"Which is also why I could draw the conclusion you said something he'd hate." Shikamaru finished with a sigh. "If I'm wrong, Kiba, enlighten me."

Kiba hadn't been listening to his words; he had found himself just staring at that intelligent look in his eyes. "Eh?" He blinked at him. Shikamaru pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance.

"Put simply, do your personalities just clash, or is there some other reason you don't like her?" He asked.

"Oh! Right. Um." Kiba noticed how closely Temari was scrutinizing him. "What are you staring at?"

"Just realizing a conclusion Shikamaru's too oblivious to draw." Temari shrugged, smirking. "And things could get interesting this way."

Shikamaru heaved a sigh, giving up. "Fine. If you two aren't going to answer me, I'm heading home. Kiba," Kiba turned to him. "Don't pick a fight with her. I don't want to have to deal with that nonsense."

He then proceeded to turn and walk away, leaving Kiba and Temari to their glaring contest.


	2. Shiho

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kiba decides to go bother Shikamaru while he's working in the Cryptology office and discovers a girl who has quite the infatuation with Shikamaru. So he... well... you'll see.

He was concentrating really, _really_ hard on what he was working on. Yes, he hated these damn papers, but he had an important job to get done. Even if he was actually losing sleep over it. Which was extremely unnatural.

Shikamaru could handle that. He could handle spending uncountable hours in the office. He could handle being accompanied by an eccentric and cheerful girl the entire time. What he _couldn't_ handle, was when a knock on the door completely cut off his train of thought, and he could no longer re-piece it together.

His pencil snapped in his hand, his left eyebrow twitching in annoyance. This was the reason he slept so much. Because when he wasn't fully rested, he became easily irritated and jumpy.

The girl working beside him noticed his reaction to the knock, and stood to open the door and ask the person to leave. Shiho opened the door to reveal Kiba.

"Oh, _hell_ no." Shikamaru growled. Kiba peeked over Shiho's shoulder at him, a concerned look on his face.

"Uhh... Shikamaru, are you okay?" He asked, laughing nervously. "I just, uh, came to check on you for, uh, y-your team. Yeah, um, they're just a little concerned, but I can leave you alone..." He then noticed Shiho for the first time, his eyes narrowing. "And you are?" He asked coldly.

"My name is Shiho. I'm helping Shikamaru with the deciphering of an important code." She introduced. "And who might you be?"

"Kiba." He replied, still with that cold tone. She hadn't offered a last name, so why should he? "I'm a friend of Shikamaru's."

"I apologize, but we need complete and total quiet. Frankly, I'm not exactly sure why you were allowed here." Shiho shrugged, pushing up her glasses.

"Well, I have heard that Shikamaru hasn't left this office for several days in a row, and just wanted to find out if he's sleeping properly considering not sleeping for a really long time doesn't do anyone any good and-"

He cut off when he heard Shikamaru chuckling softly behind the two. He looked up at Kiba with a teasing smile. "Like back in school when you pulled three all-nighters in a row practicing for the upcoming exams, and you ended up sleeping through them?"

"H-hey! I did not!" Kiba protested.

"Alright, if not then, how about when you hadn't slept in forty-eight hours because you were so determined to prove _to me_ that sleeping was a waste of time? I recall dragging you home because you fell asleep on one of the benches near the training grounds." Shikamaru sighed. "You're not exactly one to lecture me about sleep, Kiba."

Already Kiba's face was a bright red. "I-I'm just saying from experience then! Th-that sleep is important! S-so you should be considerate of that fact! Is all."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. Talking to Kiba relaxed him, surprisingly. When he'd first showed up he thought he'd get annoyed faster, but that just goes to show how much he knows. "I'll get sleep after I finish this Kiba. It won't take me much longer."

Kiba cocked an eyebrow. "Swear it."

"Alright, fine." Shikamaru laughed. "I swear."

"You swear what?"

"Hey, being specific is _my_ thing." Shiho looked between the two of them, then realized Shikamaru was already calmer. She looked back at Kiba, who then gave her triumphant smirk. She had to admit, she was jealous. Shikamaru actually _smiled_ with this guy. Which was much more than she could say for herself.

"I would stick around to keep an eye on you, but I know you work best _alone_ ," He eyed Shiho suspiciously. "So I'll be going. See you later, Shika!" He then left, and Shiho closed the door after him.

She noticed how relaxed Shikamaru now was. Just a few minutes ago, he was tense. And even as he regained his concentration, he seemed far less irritated. _Amazing that a person can have such an effect._ She thought as she took her seat and continued her work. _I hope one day I can have that effect on him._

But she couldn't help noticing Kiba's subtle implications towards her. She recognized those marks on his cheeks as those of an Inuzuka, and the Inuzuka clan had instincts very similar to that of a dog. And from what she knew, dogs tended to be overprotective of those they really cared about, so in conclusion, he was being naturally overprotective of Shikamaru.

She'd seen the two together all the time. They were almost always together when they weren't with their teams. It made her think that possibly, what if...

"Say, Shikamaru?" She started. He made a 'hm' sound of acknowledgement but didn't look up from his work. "Are you and Kiba dating?"

His head immediately snapped up to look at her in surprise. "Wh-what?" A small red started creeping onto his cheeks. "No! No, of course not. We're just friends." His answer seemed to be a little to quick for Shiho. "We've known each other since school, and have been really close. But really, we're just friends."

"Oh. Sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable." She apologized.

"I-it's fine. Don't worry about it." He replied, quickly moving his attention back to his paper. From his reaction, Shiho suspected that there was a possibility that they did harbor feelings for one another, but Shikamaru also could just be surprised. She hoped it was the second one.


	3. How It All Started

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How Kiba worked up the courage to become Shikamaru's friend, protecting him.

"You should've seen it, Ma!" Kiba exclaimed, flopping onto the couch. "We were doing random matches, and Shikamaru got paired up with Ino and beat her in under two minutes! It was incredible! Iruka-sensei said it was the most work he'd ever seen from him, which makes sense, since he doesn't try too much."

"Did you congratulate him?" Tsume asked her nine-year-old son. He was talking about Shikamaru again. She wondered when she was going to actually meet him. "You're his friend, aren't you?"

"Well, um, not... exactly." He rolled onto his stomach, tracing a line in the rug. "I've tried talking to him before, but I can never find the right thing to say. We sat next to each other last month before we changed seats, but he was always sleeping."

"Honestly Kiba." Tsume sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "You've known him since you started school, yet you haven't even talked to him? If you're going to admire someone this much, you gotta have the courage to befriend them. Or else you're just like that Hyuuga girl you told me about."

"She's different!" Kiba protested. "I'm not shy! I have plenty of friends!"

"And yet this 'Shikamaru' is the only one you talk about." She countered. "If you don't befriend him, how am I ever going to meet him? Get to it, Kiba! The sooner you're friends, the sooner you can tell him how amazing he is."

"Why would I just openly say that?" Kiba laughed. "I'm pretty sure you only make a speech like that if you're, like, confessing your love for someone."

Tsume nodded, giving him the eyes that read 'exactly'. "Uh-huh."

"Wait, WHAT!?" Kiba screeched in alarm. "I'm not in love with him! He's a guy, not a girl!"

"Whatever, whatever." Tsume dismissed. "Just know I'll say 'I told you so' when you come out as gay and end up dating him."

"No! No, no, no! That's all kinds of wrong! B-besides! He could like girls too! And-and I don't even think he really knows I exist! I'm probably just... just _there_ to him!" Kiba sputtered in protest.

"No, of course, I get it." She waved her hand dismissively at him. "I get it, calm down. Making a big deal out of it is only proving how right I am."

Just then, Hana pokes her head through the door. "What're we talking about? Kiba's crush on Shikamaru?"

"HANA!!" Kiba exclaimed, his voice higher an octave. "I don't have any such things! Can't I acknowledge someone's skills without you guys being on my case all the time?!"

"Oh, hey sweetie." Tsume greeted. "Now that you're home, I'll go make dinner. Go wash up, you two."

Still grumbling, Kiba stomped to the bed with Hana, his face a bright red.

~

It was the weekend, and Kiba didn't plan on doing _anything_. He and Akamaru liked lazy Saturdays, where they lay in bed all day relaxing. But his mother insisted that he go out an enjoy a bright and sunny day like this.

So now he was out here, walking through town with Akamaru beside him. There wasn't really anything to do, but oh well. No one said no to his mother. Maybe she was hoping he'd train or something. Or maybe she hoped he'd go become friends with Shikamaru.

He wasn't going to put much thought into it. It really was a beautiful day; full of potential. And Kiba planned on wasting it, mostly to spite his mother in a way she would never figure out. Hopefully.

"What did you say?!" Kiba stopped when he heard the threatening tone. He didn't recognize the voice, but it sounded like trouble. He glanced into the empty street around the corner. Empty, that is, except for...

"It'd be a pain to repeat myself. Besides I'm sure you know exactly what I said." Shikamaru was cornered by three bigger ninja. They looked about twice his size, and their headbands where those of Chuunin.

"You must really want to die if you're saying things like that to me." The leader hissed in his face. "Do you even know who I am?"

"Some dumb oaf who thinks he's intimidating." Kiba flinched as he watched the leader uppercut Shikamaru in the jaw. Anger flooded his senses quickly. Shikamaru was knocked to the floor with a second hit to the stomach.

"Know you're place, shrimp." He spat. "You're never going to graduate the academy with your poor reaction time. You're already on the ground." He lifted Shikamaru's head by his ponytail to smirk in his face. "Go ahead and cry."

Shikamaru didn't. He glared back at him, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. "I find it funny you think I'm trying. You can beat me up all you want, but as you do, you'll be becoming a worse and worse shinobi." The leader slugged him in the face again before dropping his head. "Shinobi are supposed... to protect. You've no right to call yourself a ninja of the Leaf."

He started to stand, but the leader kicked him down again. "See this headband? This _is_ my right. I don't see one on you, so you're the one without a right." He kicked him again, making Shikamaru curl up to protect his stomach. _Why isn't he fighting back?!_ Kiba thought furiously. _I have to do something before he gets anymore hurt!_

"HEY!!" He shouted, stepping into view. Akamaru stood beside him, barking at them. The four looked up at him. Shikamaru gave him a look of alarm. "Leave him alone!"

"What are you doing, you idiot?" Shikamaru sighed, standing shakily. "You don't need to get involved. Rather one person get hurt than more."

"Yeah, listen to your friend and skedaddle." The leader smirked. One of the goons shoved Shikamaru back to the ground.

"You lay another hand on him and I'll... I'll..."

"You'll what?" The leader taunted. On cue, the second goon kicked Shikamaru hard in the ribs, then pinned him down with his foot.

"Stop it!" Kiba shouted, clenching his fists. "You're no ninja! You're assholes hiding behind a bully's reputation!" He then looked at Shikamaru. "Why are you letting them walk all over you!? You're so much stronger than them!"

"They'll stop having fun and leave all on their own eventually." Shikamaru sighed. "No need to waste energy on them." He got kicked in the head for that.

"But you're indulging their ego! If you don't do anything, then they'll never stop! You'll be a target for them!" Kiba protested.

"Let them do what they want. Someday they'll learn that brute force will get them nowhere without a brain, and they'll die regretting being such idiots." He was kicked again.

" _You'll_ die here if you keep talking like that!" The leader spat. "Why don't you just stay in those shadows where you belong!? No one will ever care about a nobody like you!"

That was the last straw for Kiba. "You shut your mouths! You know _nothing_ about him!" He lunged forward, attempting to punch the leader in the face, but he caught his fist and twisted it painfully behind his back.

"No!" Shikamaru cried. The three's attention turned back to him.

"Oh, so _now_ you'll react." The leader sneered, twisting Kiba's wrist even more. Kiba strained not to give them the satisfaction of a cry of pain.

"Let him go! He has nothing to do with this!" Shikamaru attempted to dart forward, but in his state, he was too slow and was once again pinned to the ground. His hands were held apart so he couldn't do any signs. As much as he struggled, the combine weight of the two Chuunin was to heavy for him.

"Ow!" The leader suddenly cried. They all looked to see Akamaru chomp on his leg. Kiba was finally released, and immediately turned and nailed the leader in the face.

"Good job, Akamaru!" Kiba grinned at him before turning and tackling one of the Chuunin off of Shikamaru. He sank his claws into their shoulders before stomping on his head and knocking him out. He was about to attack the second Chuunin, but the leader grabbed him and pinned him below him.

"Damn brat!" He grabbed Kiba by his hair and was about to slam his head into the ground when he froze. "What the-"

Shikamaru stood, glaring daggers at him. "You can beat me up all you want, but when you hurt my friends, then you piss me off." It took Kiba a moment to register that he just called him his friend. Kiba couldn't help but grin, then wiggle out from under the bully.

"Wow, you're using their shadows against them!" Kiba gawked. "That's amazing!"

"Yeah, I'm still working on it." Shikamaru strained to say. "Get your dog, and on my mark, we'll run."

"Got it." Kiba nodded.

"3... 2...1...now!" Kiba grabbed Shikamaru's wrist and bolted the moment Shikamaru released the jutsu. Together, the two sprinted away from the street, knowing they were being pursued.

Indeed, the the two were chasing after them. "Come on- my house isn't far from here!" They took a sharp turn and kept running straight. If they kept their pace, they would be able to make it.

But he noticed Shikamaru was faltering, clutching his side in pain.

"We're almost there, just keep running!" Kiba pulled him along, towards the end of the street, where there would be another turn leading into Inuzuka territory. He noticed there were very few people on the streets for some reason, and even fewer who cared to glance their way.

No time to care about that, Kiba had to get Shikamaru to safety no matter the cost. They took the turn, and ran deep into Inuzuka territory. Kiba then turned sharply and pushed open the door, pulling Shikamaru inside, then locking the door quickly behind them.

The two took a minute to catch their breath, and Kiba noticed the dogs in the living room started barking in alarm. While regaining his breath, Kiba risked peeking out the window. The Chuunin were leaving.

Kiba exhaled. "They're gone." Shikamaru let out a relieved sigh, and leaned against the wall, panting and holding his side. "Oh! You have blood on your face!" Shikamaru wiped it off with his thumb, then started coughing into his hand.

When he stopped, blood covered his hand. He wiped his mouth again.

"Here- come with me." Kiba took his other hand and led him to the bathroom. Akamaru went to calm the other dogs down. They closed the door behind them, and Kiba sat Shikamaru on the toilet. He gave Shikamaru an ice pack before then opened the medicine cabinet and retrieving Arnica cream and bandages. "'Kay, now I'm going to need you to hold still."

Using his good arm, Kiba gently applied the cream to the bruises on Shikamaru's face while Shikamaru held the ice pack to his ribs. All the while, Shikamaru stayed completely still.

When he finished, he put small bandages over the bruises on one of Shikamaru's cheek, jaw, and neck. "To be honest, I've never done that myself, but my sister does it all the time since I get hurt all the time."

Shikamaru looked down at his lap, still holding the ice to his ribs. "Thanks, but... you didn't need to step in like that."

Kiba laughed. "Of course I did! You're my friend."

Shikamaru smiled a little in return. "How's your arm?"

"A little sore, but I'll be fine." Kiba dismissed. "If you don't mind me asking, what were those guys beating you up for?"

"They insulted my family, so I defended them. Then they got easily pissed off, so I told them they were a disgrace to the Leaf." Shikamaru replied. "I thought ninja were supposed to have honor and a sense of justice."

"You should've fought back. I know you could've taken them." Kiba growled.

"I'm not going to convince them that they're weak. Then how will they do on missions?" Shikamaru shrugged. "Let them do what they want. Don't let them have any effect on your life."

They both jumped when they heard the front door open, followed by a pair of voices. "I didn't realize Ma and Hana were out." Kiba grumbled. "Are you well enough to stand?"

"Yeah." Shikamaru nodded. "Do you want me to leave? I can probably sneak out the bathroom window if I'm not supposed to be here..."

"Nah, it's fine." Kiba shrugged. "Come on, you're welcome here, don't worry."

He opened the bathroom door, then peeked out. "What are you doing?" Shikamaru asked.

"If they catch us in the bathroom, they'll assume weird things." Kiba told him. "The coast is clear, come on."

The two left the bathroom, and started towards the stairs.

"Kiba!" Kiba flinched at his Ma's voice. "I smell something unusual! What did you bring in the house this time?"

Kiba swallowed hard he was actually pretty nervous. "Not what, Ma. Who."

"Alright then, _who_ did you bring in the house?"

"Sh-Shikamaru... Nara." There was silence, and then the sound of scrambling as Tsume and Hana ran into the hall. Shikamaru was startled when the two stood before him, shaking his hand.

"It is _so_ nice to finally meet you!" Tsume opened. "My son talks very highly of you!" Shikamaru blushed a little, scratching the back of his neck in embarrassment.

"Ma..." Kiba said in a warning tone through grit teeth.

"Seriously, for the past several years, Kiba has been on and on about how great you are, and hardly talks about anything else." Hana informed him, smirking at Kiba, whose ears and cheeks were very red.

"Hana!" He exclaimed, flustered. "Th-that's not true! I've only mentioned him once or twice!"

"Yeah right!" Tsume barked a laugh, ruffling Kiba's hair. "You talk about him nonstop!"

"Ma!" Kiba hid his face in his hands. He only risked peeking when he heard Shikamaru chuckling. His smile made Kiba even more embarrassed for some reason.

"Can't imagine why." Shikamaru sighed. "I'm no one special."

Kiba was about to protest that statement when Hana cupped Shikamaru's cheek and studied his face. "How did you get hurt? You're bleeding." Shikamaru quickly wiped the blood from his mouth.

"I brought him here for two reasons." Kiba said. "To help him escape, and to help him heal."

"What... who hurt you?" Hana demanded. "Because I'll beat their asses."

"That's not necessary." Shikamaru replied. "It wasn't that big a deal."

"Not a big deal...?" Kiba narrowed his eyes. "If they kept at it, you could've been seriously injured! Or worse!"

"Give me names, Shikamaru." Hana put her hands on his shoulders, looking him in the eyes. "Names." Shikamaru rolled his eyes, but obeyed and gave their names. Hana cracked her knuckles. "I have places to be."

As she left, Tsume crouched a bit to look at Shikamaru. "Would your parents be alright if you stayed for dinner?"

"My mom might not be. I'd have to ask her." Shikamaru replied.

"Just checking, but your mother is Yoshino, right?" Shikamaru nodded. "You'll be fine if you mention my name. We go way back."

Kiba put his hands in his pockets and sighed. His ma probably planned on busting him for everything he's ever said about Shikamaru. Oh well. He had a feeling he just made the best friend of a lifetime.


End file.
